What the Birds See Award-winning author by Sonya Hartnett (author) (UK edition)

Be warned: darkly disturbing! Adrian’s seen too much in his life. Now three kids have vanished. Where to? Can he see what the birds see? It’s 1977. Adrian is nine, living with his gran and uncle Rory. He’s not the world’s bravest kid: he’s scared of quicksand, shopping centres and (worst of all) self-combustion. So he watches his dull suburban world closely. It might seem quiet, but there’s a lot of strange and dangerous stuff to figure out. For example: how did three local children set out to buy ice cream one day, and vanish completely? Where are they now? What happened? Can Adrian help to find them?

An achingly beautiful and moving tale of lost innocence

By the award-winning author of The Children of the King

Brilliantly imagines Adrian’s wounded and lonely world

Sonya Hartnett won the Guardian Prize for Thursday’s Child